HINTS  ON  HORSES 


KSMIBHBHl 


HOW  TO 
JUDGE 
THEM 
BUY 
THEM 
RIDE 
THEM 


DR I VE 

THEM 

AND 

THEM 


CAPTAIN  CM, 


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"  '-T'  CV"i^ 


ebster  Family  Library  of  Veterinary  Medicine 
jmmings  School  of  Veterinary  Medicine  at 
jfts  University 

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HINTS    ON    HORSES 


First  Edition November,  1904. 

Reprinted May,  1905. 


Fig.  I. — Skeleton  taken  from  Tin.  Ijuok  on  IIousemansuip,  fullisued  by  thi;  Marquis  ok  Newcastle  in  165S. 


HINTS  ON  HORSES 

HOW    TO   JUDGE    THEM,  BUY  THEM,  RIDE    THEM,  DRIVE 

THEM,   AND    DEPICT    THEM 


CAPTAIN   C.    M.    GONNE,   R.A. 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW    YORK 
E.    P.    BUTTON    AND    COMPANY 

1906 


Printed  in  Great  Britain. 


INTRODUCTION 


"What  are  the  points  of  a  horse?"  "What 
are  the  things  to  look  for;  and  what  are  the 
things  to  avoid?"  "  How  am  I  to  tell  a  good 
horse  when  I  see  one  ?  " 

These,  and  similar  questions,  are  frequently 
put  to  me,  on  the  one  hand  by  persons  who, 
without  much  experience,  are  anxious  to  buy 
a  horse,  and  have  to  depend  upon  their  own 
limited  knowledge  to  safeguard  them,  and  on 
the  other  hand  by  artists  and  amateurs,  whose 
attempts  to  introduce  horses  into  their  pictures 
have  not  always  been  attended  with  success. 

The  title  of  this  book  will,  I  hope,  acquit 
me,  in  the  eyes  of  the  public,  of  anything 
more  ambitious  than  a  desire  to  offer  a 
few  suggestions  on  this  subject :  it  makes  no 
pretence  to  deal  with  it  exhaustively,  and 
those  who  desire  further  information  must  be 


referred  to  more  comprehensive  works;  but 
to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  there  is  no  book 
which  makes  any  attempt  to  occupy  the  ground 
that  I  shall  now  endeavour  to  cover  in  the 
simplest  manner  possible,  partly  by  words 
and  partly  by  diagrams,  which  I  find  far  better 
calculated  to  leave  a  definite  impression  on  the 
mind  than  long  descriptions. 

These  hints  are  the  result  of  many  years  of 
personal  intimacy  with  the  horse,  and  of  careful 
observation  of  his  proportions,  his  movements, 
and  his  habits,  and  I  hope  that  what  has 
proved  of  use  to  me  may,  in  turn,  be  found 
useful  to  others. 

In  conclusion,  I  have  added  a  few  notes 
on  Riding,  Driving,  and  on  Harness,  which  I 
trust  will  not  be  found  out  of  place. 


C.   M.    GONNE. 


GODALMING, 
September,  1904. 


CONTENTS 


PACE 

Measurements  which  apply  to  all  Horses     10-14 

Heads              ...             ...  .■•             ••■         14-17 

Ears        ...             ...  ...             .••             -       18 

Eyes                ...             ...  •■•             •••               19 

Mouth      ...             ...  ...             ...             •••       21 

Mane               ...             ...  ...             •■•              21 

Neck        ...             ...  ...             ...                21-23 

The  Body — Withers    ...  ...            ...              24 

Shoulder                ...  ...             ...             •••       24 

Back               ...            ...  ...             -         24-26 

How  Arabs  observe  Horses  ...                27-29 

Hindquarters               ...  ...             ...        3°i  3^ 

Tails        ...             ...  ...             •••                32.33 

Thigh              ...             ...  ...              .•■               34 

Hocks      ...            ...  ...             ...                34.35 

Unsoundness  indicated  by  Outline  of  Horse  36,  37 

Forelegs         ...             ...  ...             •••              3^ 

Feet  and  Hoofs   ...  ...             ...                 39.4° 

Pasterns         ...             ...  ...             ...               4° 

Fetlock  ...            ...  ...             ...             ...       4° 

Canon  Bone  or  Shank  ...              ...         40.41 

Back  Tendon         ...  ...             ...              ■■       4' 

Knees  and  Forearms  ...  ...             ...              41 

Front  View           ...  ...             ...                42.43 

Back  View      ...             ...  ...             ...         44.  45 


Movements — Seventeenth-century  Opinions    46-48 
Knowledge  obtained  by  Photography  ...        48-51 

Amble      ...            ...             ...             ...  ...       52 

Rotation  in  which  Horse  moves  his  Legs  53 

Artificial  Paces          ...             ...  ...         53-55 

Peculiarities  of  Movement               ...  56, 57 

Conventional  Horses...             ...  ...         58.59 

Effect  of  Motion  indicated  by  Lines  60,  61 

Terms  Appreciation,  Depreciation  ...       62 

Methods  of  Breakers                ...  ...               6^ 

Docking  ...            ...             ...             •■•  •••       63 

Trimming       ...            ...             ■■.  ■■■              64 

The  Rider              ...             ...             ...  65-71 

Journeys         ...             ...             ...  ••■         72,  73 

Saddlery — Child's  Pad       ...             ...  ...       74 

Training  Child's  Pony  and  teaching  Child  74,  75 

Cut  of  Saddles             ...             ...  ...         75. 7^ 

Girths     ...             ...             ...             •■•  76,77 

Bridles             ...             ...             •••  •■•             7^ 

Driving— Coachmen             ...             ...  78-82 

Teams  of  Eight  or  more             ...  ...       82-84 

Whip        ...              ...              .•             •••  •••       84 

Harness          ...             ...             •■.  •••              85 

Buying  at  Auction             ...             •■•  86-88 

Tethering      ...             ...             ...  •••         88-90 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


Flf7S. 

PACE 

FIG. 

I. 

Skeletojj...             ...               Frontispiece 

29. 

2,3. 

Horses  DRA\v>f  according  to  Euclid  j 

:2> 

13 

4-8. 

Types  of  He.\ds     ...              ...                 i 

'5- 

-17 

3°- 

9- 

About  to  kick 

18 

31.32- 

lO. 

Gagged     ... 

20 

33.  34- 

II. 

Ewe-necked     ... 

.>  2 

35- 

12. 

STAR-G.4ZING 

23 

36- 

13- 

Hollow-backed 

25 

14- 

Roach-backed 

26 

37- 

15,  16. 

Positions   in    grazing  according    to 

38. 

THE  Arabs           ...              ...                  ; 

28; 

.29 

39- 

17- 

Chucklehead  ... 

31 

40. 

18. 

Types  of  Tails 

32 

41,42. 

19. 

Greyhound 

35 

43- 

20. 

Unsoundnesses    noticeable    in    Out- 

44- 

line  of  Horse 

37 

45.  46. 

21. 

Feet 

39 

47- 

22,23. 

Front  View    ... 

43 

48. 

24>  25. 

Back  View 

45 

49.  5°- 

26. 

The    Gallop    according    to    Seven- 

51- 

teenth-century  Ideas     ...       To  fact 

■A  48 

52,53- 

27. 

Jumping  Weight  Carrier 

49 

54- 

28. 

Sketch  from  Photo  of  Racehorse  ... 

50 

The     Leaden     Horse     of     "  Petits 

Chevaux" 
Camel 

Colonial  Children 
Trotters 

Conventional  Horse  in  Curves 
Conventional     Horse     in     Straight 

Lines    ... 
Direction  of  Lines  to  indicate  Speed 
Old-fashioned  ]\Iilitary  Se.\t 
Stone-wallixg 
Brook-jumping 
The  Tyro  Jumping 
Adjusting  Girths  when  mounted 
Child's  Pad    ... 
Saddles    ... 
Colonial  Horse 
Coachmen 
Starting  Tandem 
A  Team  of  Eight-in-Hand... 
Harness 
Tethering  Quoit  ... 


51 

52 

54.  55 

56,57 

58 

59 
61 

65 
68 
69 

70,71 
73 
74 
75 
77 
79 
81 

83 
85 
90 


HINTS    ON     HORSES 


First  and  foremost,  for  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  horse,  1  must  emphasize  the  importance 
of    personal    acquaintance    with    the    animal 


himself,  and  a  careful   stud}'  of  his  anatomy 
(Fig.  I). 


ro 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


By  considering  the  proportions  of  a  horse 
it  is  possible  to  detect  his  age,  to  gauge  his 
strength  or  weal<:ness,  and  to  obtain  some 
insight  into  his  individuality  and  character- 
istics. And  to  understand  his  proportions  it 
is  an  assistance  to  draw  them. 

Roughly  speaking,  the  body  and  legs  of  a 
horse,  when  seen  standing  in  profile,  may  be 
drawn  within  the  four  lines  of  a  square,  which 
should  practically  include  his  whole  body, 
with  exception  of  his  head,  neck,  and  tail.  The 
height  of  a  horse  is  equal  to  the  extreme 
length  of  his  body  (Figs.  2  and  3). 


Draw  a  square,  ABCD,  and  within  it 
roughly  sketch  the  body  and  legs  so  that  the 
feet  stand  upon  the  base  line,  whilst  the 
withers  and  highest  point  of  the  quarters 
touch  the  top  line  ;  in  a  well-formed  horse  the 
chest  and  toes  of  the  fore  feet  should  extend 
to  one  of  the  vertical  lines,  and  the  back 
tendon  of  the  hind  leg  must  coincide  with  the 
other  vertical  line. 

From  the  root  of  the  tail  draw  a  perpen- 
dicular line  upwards  to  cut  AB  at  X. 

Continue  the  general  line  of  the  forelegs 
upwards  to  meet  AB  at  Y. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


II 


The  length  of  his  head,  taken  from  the  top 
of  his  poll  to  the  tip  of  his  lips,  is  almost  in- 
variably one-third  of  the  distance  measured 
from  the  poll  between  the  ears  to  the  root  of 
the  tail. 

It  will  be  found  that  XY  is  double  the  length 
of  the  horse's  head. 


From  Y  draw  YZ  =  i  XY  at  the  angle  at 
which  you  wish  the  horse  to  carry  his  neck. 
Z  will  be  the  poll  of  the  horse. 

From  Z  indicate  the  horse's  head,  making 
its  extreme  length  =  YZ  =  I  ZX. 


12 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


FiC.    2. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Fig. 


14 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Having  learned  the  relative  proportions 
of  a  horse  by  means  of  the  square,  it  can 
be  utilized  with  advantage  for  drawing  pur- 
poses. 

After  drawing  the  complete  outline  of  the 
horse,  superimpose  on  it  a  thin  piece  of  paper, 


and  over  the  outline  which  shows  through  it 
indicate  the  salient  points  and  as  much  more 
of  the  horse  as  is  required. 

The  method  is  very  simple,  as  ma}-  be  found 
by  personal  experiment. 


The  Head. 
The  heads  of  horses  vary  greatly. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


15 


An  English  thoroughbred  has  generally  a  long  lean  head  (Fig.  4). 


Fir,.  4. 


i6 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


An  Arab  (Fig.  5)  has  a  muzzle  so  fine  that 
he  can  drink  out  of  a  cup.  At  the  same  time 
his  head,  through  the  jaw  and  cheek,  is  very 
wide. 


An    underbred    horse's    head   is   vulgarly 
described  as  a  portmanteau  (Fig.  6). 


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Fig.  5. 


Fig.  6. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


17 


Nose. — The  nose  differs  in  character  as 
much  in  horses  as  in  human  beings  :  some 
horses  have  Roman  noses  (Fig.  7),  others 
have  an  indentation  on  the  bridge  of  the  nose 
(Fig.  8). 


Fir.    7. 


Frc.  S, 


i8 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Ears. — A  horse  has  much  power  of  expres- 
sion in  his  ears,  which  should  not  be  too  small. 
Lop   ears  denote  stolid  good  nature.     When 


cocked  they  denote  attention  and  keenness, 
when  laid  back  they  may  mean  vice,  and  fore- 
shadow a  bite  or  a  kick  (Fig.  9). 


V      X. 


Fig.  9. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


^9 


Eyes. — The  position  of  the  eye  varies  a 
good  deal.  Roughly  speaking,  from  the  poll 
to  the  eye  is  one-third  the  length  of  the  head. 
The  hollow  above  the  eye  deepens  with  age. 
A  large  full  eye  is  expressive  of  honesty  and 
courage,    whereas    a    small    e^'c    maj-    denote 


cunning.     Showing  the  white  of  the  eye  ex- 
presses vice. 

White  Melville  wrote  that  if  he  had  only 
one  portion  of  a  horse  to  look  at  before 
purchase,  he  would  select  the  eye. 


20 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Fig.  io. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


21 


Mouth. — Mouths  have  many  forms.  In 
a  young  horse  the  lips  are  short.  A  well- 
broken  horse  with  a  light  mouth  retains  the 
short  lips ;  whereas  pullers,  and  horses 
gagged  with  bit  and  bearing-rein,  acquire 
long,  slit-up  mouths.  This  form  of  mouth  is 
generally  associated  with  muscular  develop- 
ment of  the  neck  (Fig.  lo). 

Maiic. — Well-bred  horses  have  fine,  straight 
manes  and  tails.  Under-bred  horses  have 
coarse,  bushy,  or  curly  manes  and  tails. 


Neck.—T\\Q  upper  outline  of  the  neck 
shows  condition,  and  varies  from  convex  to 
concave.  Stallions  have  convex  crest  lines. 
Geldings  have  straight  necks,  unless  they 
have  been  stallions  for  a  few  years,  in  which 
case  they  retain  the  curved  crest.  A  mare's 
neck  is  generally  straight,  but  rounds  up 
when  at  grass.  The  above  remarks  refer  to 
a  horse  carrying  its  head  naturally,  without 
any  bridling. 


22 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


J 


M 


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V 


I 

Fig.   II. 


A 


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u:  \ 


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.-<:5 


;  / 


When  the  outline  of  the  under  surface  of  the  neck  i.s  convex,  the  horse  is  said  to  be 

ewe-necked  (Fig.  ii). 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


23 


^'^ 


Fig.  12. 


Ewe-necked  horses  are  often  straight-shouldered;  they  are  often  also  star-gazers  (Fig.  12). 


24 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


The  Body. 


Withers. — The  withers  of  a  horse  must  be 
carefully  noted ;  they  vary  from  almost  a 
razor  edge  to  quite  a  rounded  surface  :  their 
position  is  also  of  importance ;  this  depends 
upon  the  shoulder. 

Shonldcr. — The  most  important  line  whereby 
the  individuality  of  a  horse  is  depicted  is  that 
of  the  shoulder. 

This  line  may  be  oblique  or  upright.  If 
oblique  the  neck  is  long,  the  withers  lie  back, 
and  the  back  is  short.  If  upright  these  propor- 
tions are  reversed.     A  head  placed  on  a  long 


neck  looks  relatively  shorter  than  a  head  of 
the  same  size  on  a  short  one. 

A  lean,  clean  cut,  and  angular  shoulder  is 
desirable  for  a  riding  horse.  A  rounded, 
heavy-looking  shoulder,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
adapted  to  heavy  draught  work. 

Back. — The  length  of  the  back  is  depen- 
dent on  the  position  of  wither  and  size  of 
hindquarters.  The  shorter  the  back  the 
stronger.  The  larger  the  hindquarters  the 
more  powerful. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


25 


V 


r/ 


\ 


\ 


r-' 


/  / 


'"/ 


■1/ 


\' 


Fig.  13. 


In  weak  or  old  horses  the  back  is  often  hollow.     Some  horses  are  naturally  hollow-backed  (Fig.  13). 


26 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


In  certain  cases  the  back  assumes  a  convex  form,  known  as  "  roach-backed  "  (F^io-.  14). 


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if  f 


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KlG.    I^. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


27 


It  has  been  said  that  Arabs  are  quick  to 
notice  the  manner  in  which  a  horse  stands 
when  grazing  on  level  ground.  The  pure  bred 
can  feed  with  his  fore  legs  perfectly  upright 
(Fig.  15);  the  horse  that  has  some  slight  flaw 
in  his  pedigree  shows  it  by  slightly  bending 


one  of  his  fore  legs  whilst  feeding  off  the 
ground;  and  the  curly  maned,  curl}-  tailed 
underbred  has  to  kneel  to  get  his  food 
(Fig.  16).  This  observation  shows  that  the 
Arabs  appreciated  the  beauty  of  a  long  rein 
and  a  short  back. 


28 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Fig.  i;. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


29 


/^' 


,<- 


iC-l 


'if- 


Fig.  16. 


30 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Hbidquartcrs. — A  horse's  hindquarters  may 
be  about  the  same  height  as  his  wither,  in 
which  case  the  hind  leg  is  long  and  therefore 
has  more  driving  power. 

Long  quarters  with  thighs  well  let  down 
into  the  hocks  denote  speed. 

A  round  full  hindquarter  may  be  due  to 
muscle  or  fat.  This  is  of  importance  in  hunters 
and  racehorses.  Hunters  are  usually  grosser 
than  racehorses.  Some  run  fat,  others  are 
trained  fine.  This  training  is  apparent  in  the 
haunches  and  buttocks. 

A  clear-cut  indentation  between  the 
haunches  and  buttocks  is  called  the  "  poverty 
line."  This  line  is  very  noticeable  in  underfed 
animals. 

Drooping  hindquarters  are  described  as 
"  goose-rumped."  This  formation  is  often 
found  in  Irish  horses. 

Charles  Kingsley  showed  his  appreciation 


of  the   points    of  a    horse    in   the   following 
admirable  passage  in  "Ilereward  the  Wake": — 

"The  ugliest,  as  well  as  the  swiftest  of 
mares,  she  was,  say  the  old  chroniclers;  and 
it  was  not  till  the  stranger  had  looked  twice 
at  her,  that  he  forgot  her  chuckle-head,  grey- 
hound flanks,  and  drooping  hindquarters,  and 
began  to  see  the  great  length  of  those  same 
quarters,  the  thighs  let  down  into  the  hocks, 
the  compact  loin,  the  extraordinary  girth 
through  the  saddle,  the  sloping  shoulder,  the 
long  arms,  the  flat  knees,  the  large  well-set 
hoofs,  and  all  the  other  points  which  showed 
her  strength  and  speed,  and  justified  her 
fame. 

'".She  might  carry  a  big  man  like  you 
through  the  mud,'  said  he,  carelessly  ;  '  but  as 
for  pace,  one  cannot  expect  that  with  such  a 
chuckle-head.  And  if  one  rode  her  through  a 
town  the  boys  would  call  after  one — 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


'All  head  and  no  tail.     Wh}',  I  can't  see  her  tail  for  her  croup  is  so  ill  set  on ! "  '"  (Fig.   17). 


Fiu.  17. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Tails  (Fig.  i8). — When  the  tail  is  carried  higli  it  denotes  life,  and  is  said  to  be  "well  put  on." 


Fig.  i8. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


33 


A  tail  tucked  in  gives  a  mean  appearance. 

Hunters  generally  have  short  tails,  so  as  to 
increase  the  full  appearance  of  their  quarters. 
Racehorses,  on  the  other  hand,  have  long 
tails,  which  suit  their  long,  well  -  let  -  down 
thighs  and  hocks.  A  thoroughbred  in  the 
hunting-field  is  often  called  a  "long  tail." 

Arabs  often  curl  their  tails  right  over  their 
backs. 

Some  horses  have  no  hair  on  their  tails. 


These  are  known  as  "rat  tails,"  and  there  is 
a  saying  that  there  is  never  a  bad  horse  with 
a  rat  tail. 

Horses  which  have  their  tails  docked  and 
trimmed,  so  as  to  give  a  triangular  appearance, 
are  known  as  "fan  tail." 

Some  horses  have  their  tails  trimmed  so 
as  to  terminate  in  a  horizontal  line. 

A  horse  with  an  untrimmed  tail,  is  said  to 
have  a  "  swish  tail." 


34  HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Thigh. — The  thigh   denotes  muscular  con-  maximum   speed.     The   greater   the   leverage 

dition.  the  greater  the  speed  (Fig.  19). 

Hocks. — A  greyhound's    hock   is   ideal   for  If    the  hock   is   exaggeratedly    bent,  it    is 

called  "sickle  hock." 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


ZT^. 


j^ 


?^V- 


Fig.   19. 


36 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


In  a  sound  horse  the  rear  outline  of  the 
hind  leg,  exactly  in  profile,  from  point  of  hock 
to  fetlock  should  be  a  straight  line  (Fig.  20). 

A  lump  on  the  point  of  the  hock  indicates 
a  habit  of  kicking  in  the  stable.  A  joint  with 
such  a  lump  is  called  a  "capped  hock"  (a). 

A  similar  lump  on  the  elbow  is  termed 
"capped  elbow"  (e).  A  lump  lower  down, 
where  the  back  tendon  commences,  indicates 
curb  (b),  a  source  of  weakness  in  jumping 
horses.  It  is  a  result  sometimes  of  too  much 
jumping  on  the  part  of  the  horse  before  he  is 
strong  enough. 


Many  Irish  horses  are  just  touched  with 
the  firing-iron  on  the  seat  of  curb. 

A  bulge  in  the  outline  of  the  back  tendon 
denotes  a  broken-down  leg,  known  as  the 
"  bowed  tendon  "  (c). 

The  hind  fetlocks  are  slightly  higher  off  the 
ground  than  the  fore  fetlocks. 

Around  the  fetlock,  lumps  are  often  only 
signs  of  work,  and  not  unsoundness.  These 
are  called  "wind  galls"  (d). 

If  the  fetlock  itself  is  swollen,  it  is  often 
described  as  "puffy,"  and  this  may  indicate 
unsoundness. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


37 


-^ni 


-      \ 


/  — 


\v 


/ 


■y 


I  • 


'X 


N 


/:iiNii3:.-^^-.   _ 


i/ 


•i 


P'IG.    20, 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Fore  legs. — The  highest  point  of  a  horse's 
body  is  his  wither.  In  full-grown  horses  the 
distance  from  the  withers  to  the  elbow  is  equal 
to  the  distance  from  the  elbow  to  the  centre 
of  the  fetlock. 

In  young  horses  the  elbow  is  nearer  to  the 
withers  than  to  the  fetlock. 

This  fact  enables  one  to  depict  youthfulness 
in  young  stock,  and  it  also  enables  purchasers 
of  polo  ponies,  racing  galloways,  show 
harness  horses,  etc.,  etc.,  to  form  a  very  good 


idea  whether  young  animals,  submitted  for 
their  approval,  will  eventually  grow  too  tall 
for  their  particular  job. 

To  make  use  of  the  method  described  above 
of  drawing  a  horse,  it  is  necessary  to  place  the 
fetlock. 

The  position  of  this  joint  depends  on  the 
angle  of  the  feet,  and  the  springiness  or 
otherwise  of  the  pastern. 

Mr.  Jorrocks  says,  "No  foot  no  boss." 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Fig.  21. 


Feet  and  hoofs. — A  good  hoof  slopes  at 
about  an  angle  of  45°,  hind  feet  are  rather 
more  upright  than  fore  feet  (Fig.  21). 

If  the  hoof  is  too  upright,  its  appearance 
resembles  that  of  a  donkey. 


If  too  flat  it  is  indicative  of  malformation, 
or  the  result  of  neglect  or  disease. 

Underbred  carthorses  often  have  this  flat 
foot,  so  also  do  some  heavy  carriage  horses. 


40 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


A  horse  should  stand  firmly  on  his  heels. 
If  the  heels,  or  rather  what  is  known  as  the 
"frog,"  is  pared  away  during  the  operation 
of  shoeing,  a  fatal  fault  of  the  farrier,  the 
horse  will  not  be  able  to  bring  the  necessary 
pressure  upon  it,  consequently  the  frog  will 
gradually  contract  and  wither,  and  the  horse's 
shoe  will  become  more  and  more  nearly  a 
closed  circle. 

If  a  horse  is  not  shod  often  enough,  the 
horn  or  exterior  rim  of  the  hoof  grows  too 
much,  and  by  degrees  perches  the  foot  so 
high  up  that  the  frog  is  no  longer  able  to 
touch  the  ground,  and  a  similar  result,  to 
that  just  described,  ensues. 

If  a  horse  has  never  to  go  on  macadamized 
or  artificially  hardened  roads,  it  is  often  best 
not  to  shoe  the  animal  at  all ;  then  the  frog 
is  always  on  the  ground,  and  the  horn  of  the 
foot  wears  away  naturally.  Heavy  horses 
have  big  feet,  thoroughbreds  small  feet.  The 
feet  of  underbred  horses  are  larger  than  those 
of  thoroughbreds. 

A  big  foot  in  a  hunter  is  said  to  be  of  value 
in  heavy  countries ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
there  is  the  saying  that  "blood  will  tell." 


Pasfcnis. — The  pastern  may  be  oblique  or 
upright. 

Wellbred  horses  have  oblique  pasterns, 
which  render  their  action  springy. 

Underbred  horses  have  straight  pasterns, 
and  their  action  is  rough  and  inclined  to  jar. 
An  oblique  pastern  carried  to  extremes 
denotes  weakness,  as  in  young  underfed 
stock. 

Fetlocks. — The  fore  fetlocks,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  hind  legs  (see  above),  show  if  the  horse 
has  done  much  work,  when  they  are  large 
or  "  puffy  ;  "  this  puffiness  does  not  necessarily 
affect  the  soundness  of  the  action  of  the 
horse.  The  upper  portion  is  liable  to  little 
swellings  known  as  wind  galls. 

A  horse  which  has  been  standing  in  the 
stable  too  long  often  comes  out  with  big 
fetlocks,  but  after  a  little  exercise  the  joint 
assumes  its  normal  dimensions. 

A  hunter  the  morning  after  a  long  day  is 
often  rather  swollen  about  the  fetlocks ;  in 
its  case  also  exercise  reduces  the  swellings. 

Canon  bone  or  shank. — A  horse's  canon  bone 
(the  bone  below  the  knee)  should  be  like  a 
barod,  narrow  when  seen  from  the  front,  wide 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


41 


when  seen  in  profile.  It  is  a  quality  for  a 
horse  to  be  what  is  called  "big  in  the  bone," 
in  other  words  big  below  the  knee,  but  this 
bigness  should  be  as  above  described. 

In  1658  the  Duke  of  Newcastle  wrote,  "  I 
have  experienced  this  difference  between  the 
bone  of  the  leg  of  a  Barbary  horse  and  one 
from  Flanders,  viz.  that  the  cavity  of  the  bone 
in  one  shall  hardly  admit  of  a  straw,  whilst 
you  may  thrust  your  finger  into  that  of  the 
other." 

Thoroughbreds  have  fine-looking  legs  ; 
their  bone  is  often  compared  to  ivory.  If  a 
horse's  canon  bone  is  small,  it  is  often  de- 
scribed as  being  "tied  in  below  the  knee" 
(Fig.  20,  f).     This  is  a  source  of  weakness. 

Back  tendons. — Behind  the  canon  bone  is  the 
back  tendon,  which  forms  part  of  the  posterior 
outline  of  the  leg  when  seen  in  profile.  About 
halfway  down  the  shank  the  suspensory 
ligament  shows  itself,  like  a  taut  cord  sup- 
porting the  fetlock.  In  perfectly  sound  fresh 
horses  these  tendons  and  ligaments  show 
up  very  sharply,  and  catch  the  eye.  In 
sunshine  the  shadows  they  cast  make  regular 
accents. 


Any  bulges  or  swellings  on  these  denote 
unsoundness. 

Knees  and  forearms. — Having  placed  the 
fetlock  and  the  withers,  we  can  now  place  the 
elbow,  if  for  a  full-grown  horse,  halfwa}- 
between  the  two.  From  the  elbow  to  the 
knee  is  the  forearm.  This  shows  muscular 
development,  and  its  condition  indicates  the 
condition  of  the  horse.  To  place  the  knee  we 
must  take  into  consideration  the  character  of 
the  horse.  The  lower  the  knee  is  placed  the 
greater  the  capacity  for  speed.  As  an  example 
study  the  greyhound. 

The  lower  the  knee,  the  longer  the  fore- 
arm, and  the  shorter  the  shank.  A  term  of 
approval  is  "short  canons,"  or  short  below 
the  knee. 

The  knee  should  be  large  and  flat.  The 
elbow  sometimes  has  a  lump  similar  to  a 
"capped  hock."  This  is  termed  "capped 
elbow  "  (Fig.  20,  e).  It  is  generally  due  to  a 
horse,  when  lying  down,  resting  his  elbow  on 
the  heel  of  his  shoe,  thus  showing  that  the 
shoe  wants  shortening.  If  this  shortening  is 
overdone  the  end  of  the  shoe,  which  must 
always   take   the    horse's   weight,  will    press 

F 


42 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


into  the  foot  when   he   is  standing,  and  will 
cause  a  corn  to  develop. 

Unshod  animals  when  lying  out  in  very 
wet  weather  sometimes  perch  themselves  up 
on  their  feet  so  as  to  keep  their  chests  away 
from  the  damp  ground,  and  in  consequence 
suffer  from  capped  elbow. 


Front  View. 

Regarding  the  horse  from  the  front,  width 
means  strength  (Fig.  22);  narrowness,  speed 
(Fig.  23).  A  thoroughbred  weed  is  sometimes 
described  as  having  both  fore  legs  growing 
out  of  the  same  hole.  Such  a  one  may  be 
very  speedy  for  a  short  distance,  but  is  not  a 
stayer.  A  horse  to  stay  must  have  room  for 
his  lungs.  The  room  obtained  perpendicu- 
larly conduces  to  speed,  and  horizontally  to 
strength.  An  example  of  this  theory  may  be 
taken  from  the  comparison  of  the  greyhound 
with  the  bulldog. 

Horses'  legs  should  be  perpendicular. 
Knock-kneed  horses  are  called  "calf  kneed." 

Many  horses  turn  their  toes  out  more  or 


less.  This  is  a  source  of  weakness,  because 
the  foot  in  the  air,  moving  forward,  is  apt  to 
hit  the  fetlock  of  the  other  foot  when  on  the 
ground.  To  remedy  this  the  inside  of  the 
shoe  should  be  made  thicker  than  the  outside, 
causing  the  horse  to  stand  on  the  outside  edge 
of  his  foot,  thereby  forcing  the  fetlock  more 
nearly  into  its  proper  position. 

Some  horses  turn  their  toes  in,  a  strong 
but  ugly  formation. 

Care  should  be  taken  to  draw  the  pasterns 
clean.  Any  swellings  of  the  outline  would 
indicate  ossifications  known  as  "ring  bone," 
etc.  In  the  canon  bone,  also,  lumps  should 
be  avoided,  unless  you  wish  to  indicate  that 
the  horse  has  splints.  In  which  case  be  careful 
also  where  you  place  them.  If  high  up  near  the 
knee-joint  either  on  the  outside  or  the  inside 
outline  of  the  leg  the  splint  would  probably 
cause  lameness,  by  interfering  with  the  attach- 
ments or  pressing  on  the  ligaments  or  tendons. 
Whereas  halfway  down  the  canon  bone  the 
horse  can  have  a  very  big  splint  quite  clear  of 
the  tendons,  etc.,  and  one  which  once  formed 
and  hardened  will  in  no  way  affect  his  sound- 
ness. 


/ 


I 


/ 


n 


Fig.  22. 


Fig.  23. 


44 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Back  View, 

Seen  from  behind,  some  horses  are  very 
wide  between  the  hips.  The  hips  are 
"ragged"  looking  (Fig.  24).  These  horses 
generally  stand  with  their  feet  close  together. 

They  are  often  slack  in  the  loins.  Some 
horses  are  wider  through  the  barrel  than 
between  the  hips.  They  generally  stand  with 
their  feet  wide  apart,  and  may  generally  be 
counted  upon  for  "good  doers"  (Fig.  25). 

The  remarks  on  ring  bones,  splints,  etc., 
apply  equally  to  the  hind  leg,  but  splints  are 


much  more  common  on  the  fore  leg  than  on 
the  hind.  In  drawing  the  outlines  of  the 
hocks,  care  must  be  taken  to  make  them  a  pair. 
If  there  are  indications  of  lumps  or  bumps  on 
one  hock  which  are  not  equally  apparent  on 
the  other  hock,  then  the  chances  are  that  the 
horse  is  "  spavined."  If,  however,  both  hocks 
when  looked  at  from  a  similar  angle  are 
identical  in  outline,  it  is  possible  that  the 
animal  if  not  quite  clean  may  be  only  what  is 
termed  "  coarse  hocked."  If  the  hocks  are 
close  together  and  the  feet  separated  far  apart, 
the  formation  is  described  as  "cow-hocked." 


i  ^^a/v: 


iiu.  24. 


Fig.  25. 


46 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Movements. 

The  movements  of  a  horse  cannot  be  better 
described  than  by  the  words  of  the  Marquis  of 
Newcastle,  who,  in  his  book  on  "  Horseman- 
ship," *  written  in  1658,  says — 

"  I.  A  horse,  in  walking,  has  two  of  his  feet 
in  the  air,  and  two  upon  the  ground,  which 
move  othervvays  at  the  same  time,  one  fore 
and  one  hind  foot,  which  is  the  movement  of 
a  gentle  trot. 

"  2.  The  trot-^The  action  of  his  legs  in  this 
movement  is  two  feet  in  the  air,  and  two  upon 
the  ground,  which  he  moves  crossways  at 
the  same  time  ;  one  fore  and  hind  foot  across, 
which  is  the  movement  of  the  walk  :  for  the 
movement  of  a  horse's  legs  is  the  same  in 
walking  as  in  trotting,  where  he  moves  them 
crossways,  two  in  the  air  across,  and  two 
upon  the  ground  at  the  same  time ;  so  that 
those  which  were  across  in  the  air  at  one 
time,  are  afterwards  in  the  same  situation 
upon  the  ground,  and  so  vice  versa.  7  his  is 
the  real  movement  of  a  horse's  legs  in  trotting. 

*  Chap.  II.  vol.  i.  p.  30. 


"3.  The  aiublc. — A  horse  in  this  action 
moves  both  legs  on  the  same  side;  for  example, 
he  moves  his  two  off-legs  both  before  and 
behind  at  the  same  time,  while  those  of  the 
near  side  are  at  a  stand;  and  when  those 
two  which  were  in  motion  before  touch  the 
ground,  he  moves  the  other  side,  viz.  the 
fore  and  hind  leg  on  the  near  side,  and  the  off 
legs  are  then  at  rest.  Hence  a  pacing  horse 
moves  both  legs  on  one  side,  and  changes  the 
side  at  each  motion,  having  both  legs  on  the 
same  side  in  the  air,  and  those  of  the  other 
side  upon  the  ground  at  the  same  time,  which 
motion  is  the  perfect  amble. 

"4.   Tlic   gallop. — ^Gallopingt  is  a  different 

movement ;  for  in  this  pace  a  horse  can  lead 

with  which  leg  the  rider  pleases,  but  the  leg 

on   the   same   side   must    follow    it ;    I   mean 

when   he  gallops  directly  forward,   and   then 

this    is   a  true   gallop.     But  that  the  leading 

of   the   fore   leg   may  be  rightly  understood, 

which  ought  to  be  followed  by  the  hind  leg  at 

the  same  side,  the  leg  moves  in  the  following 

t  It  is  obvious  that  the  Duke  of  Newcastle  uses  the  words 
"gallop"  and  "run"  in  a  sense  different  from  that  of 
modern  use,  and  that  his  "  gallop "  corresponds  to  our 
"canter,"  and  "run  "  to  our  "gallop." 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


47 


manner :  for  example,  if  the  fore  off  leg  leads, 
it  consequently  follows  by  such  leading, 
that  the  same  fore  leg  ought  to  be  before 
the  other  fore  leg,  and  the  hind  leg  on  the 
same  side  ought  to  follow,  which  hind  leg 
ought  to  be  before  the  other  hind  leg,  which 
is  the  right  gallop. 

"  But  in  order  to  understand  it  the  better, 
the  motion  in  galloping  is  in  this  manner : 
the  horse  raises  his  two  fore  legs  at  the  same 
time  in  the  action  I  have  described,  which  is 
one  leg  before  the  other,  they  are  imme- 
diately followed  by  those  behind ;  so  that, 
as  I  have  said  before,  they  are  all  in  the 
air  at  the  same  time :  for  his  hind  legs 
begin  to  move  when  the  fore  legs  begin 
to  fall,  by  which  the  whole  horse  is  en- 
tirely in  the  air.  How  would  it  otherwise 
be  possible,  that  a  horse  in  running  should 
leap  twice  his  length,  if  the  motion  of  the 
gallop  was  not  a  leap  forwards  ?  This  de- 
scription is  very  just  both  with  respect  to 
the  motion  and  posture  of  a  horse's  legs  in 
galloping,  which,  though  it  be  true,  is  not 
easily  perceived  in  a  gentle  gallop,  but  very 
visible  in  a  swift   one,  where   the  motion  is 


violent :  I  say,  his  four  legs  may  then  plainly 
appear  to  be  in  the  air  at  the  same  time, 
running  being  no  more  than  a  quick  gallop, 
the  motion  and  posture  of  a  horse's  legs  being 
entirely  the  same.  It  is,  however,  necessary 
to  observe,  that  a  horse  in  a  circular  gallop 
ought  to  lead  with  his  two  legs  within  the 
volte,  viz.  his  fore  leg  and  hind  leg  within 
the  circle. 

"  5.  Riitiuiiig. — The  motion  of  a  horse  and 
the  action  of  his  legs  are  the  same  in  running 
as  in  galloping,  the  different  velocity  of  the 
motion  only  excepted ;  so  that  running  may 
be  properly  called  a  swift  gallop,  and  a  gallop 
slow  running.  This  is  the  true  movement  in 
running.  The  trot  is  the  foundation  of  a 
gallop;  and  the  reason  is,  because  the  trot 
being  cross-ways,  and  a  gallop  both  legs  on 
the  same  side,  if  you  put  a  horse  upon  a  trot 
beyond  the  speed  of  that  pace,  he  is  obliged, 
when  his  off  fore  leg  is  lifted  up,  to  set  down 
his  near  hind  leg  so  quickly,  that  it  makes 
the  hind  leg  follow  the  fore  leg  of  the  same 
side,  which  is  a  real  gallop ;  and  for  this 
reason  a  trot  is  the  foundation  of  a  gallop." 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


The  Marquis  of  Newcastle  says  that  all 
four  legs  of  a  galloping  horse  are  off  the 
ground  at  the  same  time. 

Instantaneous  photography,  on  the  other 


hand,  leads  one  to  believe  that  one  leg  of  a 
horse  is  always  on  the  ground  except  when 
jumping  (Fig.  27), 


Fig.  26.— Copy  of  Illustration  taken  from  the  Marquis  of  Newcastle's  Book  on  "  Horsemanship," 

puLLisHED  1658. 

\_Tofatip.  48- 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


49 


^ 


7 


V 


JA 


( 


Fig.  27. 


50 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


It  is  very  doubtful  whether  instantaneous 
photography  conveys  the  impression  of 
motion.  It  adds  greatly  to  our  knowledge, 
and  in   the   case  of  jumping  horses  gives  an 


excellent  idea ;  but,  in  my  opinion,  the  feeling 
of  speed  in  a  galloping  horse  is  scarcely 
conveyed  by  photography  (Fig.  28). 


V^ 


Fio.  28. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


51 


■'^- 


Fin.  20. 


In  all  probability  the  conventional  position 
(Fig.  29)  of  the  leaden  horses  in  the  race  game 
conve3's  to  the  mind  the  better  impression  of 


speed.  At  a  walk,  trot,  canter,  or  gallop 
horses  move  their  feet  in  the  following  order, 
viz.  near  fore,  near  hind,  off  fore,  off  hind. 


52 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Fig.  30. 


At  an  amble  or  triple  they  move  like  a  camel,  viz.  near  fore,  off  hind,  off  fore,  near  hind  (Fig.  30). 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


53 


A  horse  places  his  hind  feet  almost  exactly 
on  to  the  footprints  of  his  fore  feet.  If  going 
lazily,  the  hind  feet  do  not  reach  to  the 
fore-foot  prints  (Fig.  31):  if  over-exerting 
himself,  he  generally  goes  wide  behind,  and 
places  his  hind  feet  beyond  and  outside  the 
fore-foot  prints.  If  walking,  a  horse  has  not 
got  up  much  impetus,  and  each  pace  is 
only  about  half  his  length.  As  he  increases 
his  speed  he  gets  up  momentum  and  his 
paces  increase  until  he  is  no  longer  able  to 
progress  at  a  walk,  and  breaks  into  a  trot. 
Similarly  from  a  trot  he  gradually  extends  to 
a  gallop,  until  at  his  utmost  speed  he  is  ex- 
tended to  his  full. 


At  this  pace  his  fore  feet  extend  to  a  point 
perpendicularly  below  his  nose,  but  they  do 
not  project  beyond  this  line. 

At  a  trot  and  bridled  in,  a  horse  throws  his 
fore  feet  out  beyond  this  line. 

A  canter  is  a  much  more  artificial  pace 
(Fig.  32).  A  horse  is  made  to  canter  with 
sometimes  one  leg  leading  and  sometimes  the 
other.  On  a  circle  the  horse  is  made  to  lead 
with  the  inside  leg.  The  head  is  meanwhile 
drawn  to  the  outer  side,  and  the  horse  is 
urged  with  the  outer  leg. 


54 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Fig.  31.— a  Slow  Walk. — Colonial  Boys  going  to  School. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


55 


Fig.  32.— Coi.ONiAi.  Girls  coming  Home  from  School. 


56 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Peculiarities  of  movement.  —  Some  horses 
in  motion  "  braid,"  that  is,  cross  their  fore- 
feet. 


Some  "  dish,"  that  is,  throw  their  fore  feet 
outwards.  Some  "brush,"  that  is,  strike  their 
fetlocks,  as  already  described. 


Fig. 


Some  "speed}'  cut,"  i.e.  strike  themselves  just  below  the  knee  (Fig.  33) 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


57 


Some  "forge,"  that  is,  strike  the  toe  of  the 
hind  foot  with  the  inside  of  the  shoe  of  the 
forefoot  on  the  same  side  (Fig.  34). 


very   tired    trot.      It   is    therefore   useful    to 
remember  this  when  depicting  a  tired  horse. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  speedily  cuts  when 


flG.  34. 


Some  "over-reach,"  i.e.  tread  on  the  heel  of 
the  fore  foot,  with  the  toe  of  the  hind  foot 
on  the  same  side. 

The  consideration  of  these  peculiarities 
help  a  draughtsman  to  depict  an  animal  in 
motion,  since  each  of  these  movements  is 
peculiar  to  some  particular  pace,  and  results 
in  injury  only  when  the  animal  over-exerts 
himself,   e.g.    a   horse   brushes   at   a  walk   or 


fresh  and  when  trotting  high  and  fast.  He 
forges  in  his  trot  generally  from  weakness, 
or  when  in  harness  the  weight  behind  him 
is  too  great. 

A  horse  over-reaches  in  heavy  ground  or 
when  jumping,  especially  bank  jumping. 

If  we  draw  the  legs  so  as  just  not  to  strike 
each  other,  then  we  shall  produce  the  im- 
pression of  the  pace  required. 

H 


5S 


HINTS   ON   HORSES 


The  lines  of  a  horse  in  motion  usually  follow  curves  (Fig.  35), 


(r:^ 


(  - 


V 


y 


) 


gi*MiiMa<f«mj  1,     Lu^ 


Fig.  35.- -Place  a  Coin  on  a  piece  of  Paper  and  make  a  Conventional  Trotter. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


59 


•mairmtilcK-'i' 


F!G.    36. 


and    though    there    are    some    horses   which 
are  angular  at  all  times  in  their  movements, 


this  rule  may  be  considered  generally  to  hold 
good  (Fig.  36). 


6o 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


The  effect  of  motion  depends  to  a  certain 
extent  on  the  manner  in  which  surrounding 
objects  are  indicated.  In  watching  a  horse  in 
motion  the  eyes  are  usually  focused  on  him, 
consequently  the  spectator's  head  moves  with 
the  horse,  and  the  surrounding  objects  appear 
to  rush  past  him.  The  quicker  the  motion 
of  the  horse,  the  more  indistinct  they  become. 
This  effect  may  be  produced  by  rendering 
the  background  somewhat  indistinctly,  and 
by   the   use  of  sweeping   or   horizontal   lines 

(Fig.  37)- 

In  drawing  a  galloping  horse,  if  the  lines 
representing  the  grass  are  drawn  more  hori- 


zontally than  verticall}',  in  a  direction  pointing 
in  the  opposite  way  from  which  the  horse  is 
going,  and  in  sweeping  strokes,  they  will  help 
the  horse  to  go.  If,  however,  a  few  perpen- 
dicular blades  of  grass  are  introduced  in  front 
of  the  horse,  the  animal  will  appear  to  be 
trying  to  stop  short  or  "  prop." 

The  lines  shading  the  horse  should  follow 
the  direction  of  the  movements  desired.  To 
suggest  some  quiet  movement  of  one  leg  only, 
such  leg  would  appear  slightly  indistinct ;  e.g. 
a  horse,  impatient  for  food,  pawing  ;  a  horse 
lifting  a  hind  leg  whilst  being  groomed. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


61 


^i-  .,y     t 


<"-i 


Fic.  37. 


62 


HINTS   ON    HORSES 


Terms  of  appreciation  include- 
Long  in  the  rein. 
Oblique  clean-cut  shoulder. 
Muscular  forearm. 
Short  below  the  knee,  etc.,  etc. 
.Short  back. 
Tail  well  set  on. 
Hocks  well  let  down. 
"Stands  over  a  lot  of  ground,"  etc.,  etc. 


Terms  of  depreciation  include-- 
Ewe  neck. 
Straight  in  front. 
Slack  loins. 
Slab  sides. 
Long  on  the  legs,  etc.,  etc. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


To  give  an  impression  of  the  good  points, 
and  to  eliminate  the  bad  points,  is  the  aim  of 
the  dealer,  and  also  of  the  artist,  if  he  wishes 
to  make  the  most  pleasing  portrait. 

A  well-formed  horse  naturally  stands  over 
a  lot  of  ground.  If  not  so  well  formed,  he  is 
made  to  stand  so  as  to  give  a  good  impres- 
sion— a  training  carried  to  extremes  in  fancy 
harness  horses.  A  man  breaking  a  young 
horse  may  be  seen  gently  tapping  him  behind 
the  knees  to  make  him  advance  his  forelegs, 
at  the  same  time  forcing  the  head  back  with 
the  bridle,  the  object  being  to  give  the 
shoulder  the  best  appearance  possible.  Ap- 
parently the  angle  that  a  horse's  forelegs 
make  with  his  shoulder  is  practically  the  same 
in  all  horses,  consequently  a  horse  with  an 
oblique  shoulder  stands  with  upright  forelegs, 
whereas  the  horse  with  an  upright  shoulder 
must  incline  his  forelegs  backwards. 

If  this  is  so,  to  balance  properly,  the  horse 
must  advance  his  hind  legs.  As  a  result  the 
ground  covered  by  a  straight-shouldered 
horse  is  small.  A  well-formed  horse  will 
easily   learn   to   stand   well.     Not  so  a  badly 


shaped  one.  The  latter  soon  forgets  his 
lessons,  and,  when  the  breaker  is  no  longer 
with  him,  some  people  employ  the  gag  and 
bearing  rein.  When  a  horse  unnaturally 
stands  over  a  lot  of  ground  a  deficiency  must 
of  needs  show  itself,  and  the  slack-loined 
appearance  of  these  straddled-out  horses  is 
the  unpleasant  result. 

To  make  a  mean-croupcd  horse  carry  his 
tail  well,  a  padded  crupper  is  resorted  to. 
The  object  of  disfiguring  horses  by  docking 
their  tails  is  to  give  the  impression  that  the 
quarters  are  bigger  than  they  really  are.  The 
reason  for  docking  polo  ponies  is  that,  in  play- 
ing a  stroke  far  back,  the  stick  may  not  be 
caught  tight  by  the  pony's  tail.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  are  many  good  polo  ponies  with 
swish  tails.  Apart  from  the  barbarity  of  the 
practice,  an  undocked  polo  pony  is  better  able 
to  twist  and  turn,  and  stop,  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  game.  In  support  of  this  state- 
ment, notice  the  manner  in  which  a  greyhound 
gets  the  fullest  value  out  of  his  tail,  both  as 
a  rudder  and  a  brake. 


64 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Trimming,  perhaps,  requires  a  little  notice, 
as  by  means  of  it  the  season  of  the  year  may 
be  indicated. 

Trimming  is  apt  to  take  away  from  the 
natural  beauty  of  the  animal. 

Hogging  the  mane  is  done  to  give  a  sharp 
appearance.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  head  of  a  horse  with  a  hogged  mane  looks 
too  big. 

Clipping,  whole  or  partial,  is  resorted  to 


to  prevent  the  overheating  of  horses  at  exer- 
cise. Hunters  often  have  the  hair  left  under 
the  saddle  as  extra  protection  to  the  back,  and 
on  the  legs  to  minimize  the  discomfort  of 
thorns,  etc.  A  steeplechase  horse  is  often 
clipped  the  same  as  a  hunter,  but  a  thorough- 
bred flat-racer  is  rarely  clipped,  and  the 
extreme  beauty  of  its  summer  coat  is  thereby 
enhanced. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


65 


Fig.  3S. 


The  Rider. 


The  position  of  the  rider  varies  from   the 
old-fashioned  straight-leg  military  seat  (Fig.  38) 


to  the  crouched-up   position  introduced  into 
Europe  by  the  American  fiat-race  joci<e3^ 

I 


66 


HINTS    ON   HORSES 


A  good  rider  does  not  ride  more  than  his 
own  weight.  He  sits  down  close  to  the 
saddle,  and  his  thighs  practically  become  part 
of  the  horse.  He  sways  his  body  from  the 
loins,  conforming  to  the  movements  of  the 
horse,  so  as  to  keep  the  centre  of  gravity 
of  man  and  horse  combined  in  the  most 
suitable  place. 


E.g.  in  rising  at  a  fence  he  leans  slightly 
forward.  The  extra  weight  forward  gives 
momentum.  The  relief  of  weight  behind 
gives  full  opportunity  to  the  propelling  force 
of  the  hind-quarters.  Whereas  in  descending 
to  the  ground  he  leans  his  body  back,  thereby 
allowing  the  forehand  to  alight  without  im- 
pediment. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


67 


The  steeper  the  ascent  and  descent,  the 
further  forward  and  backward  does  the  rider 
swing.  Compare  the  positions  in  jumping 
over  a  stone  wall  and  a  brook  (Figs.  39  and 
40).  A  bad  rider,  on  the  other  hand,  is  loose 
in  his  seat.  He  adds  to  the  fatigues  of  his 
horse  by  opposing  his  weight  to  the  joint 
requirements  of  man  and  beast.  He  rides 
more  than  his  own  weight. 

By  his  loose  seat,  when  rising  at  a  fence, 
he  slips  back,  and  would  get  left  behind, 
were   it   not    for  the    reins   (Fig.  42).      With 


these  he  jobs  his  horse  in  the  mouth.  The 
horse  pulls  him  forward,  and  in  the  descent 
the  rider  finds  himself  again  exactly  wrong. 
He  is  no  longer  being  left  behind.  He  now 
precedes  his  horse  (Fig.  41). 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  a  slip  in 
taking  off  cannot  be  recovered,  and  a  stumble, 
or  peck,  on  landing  in  all  probability  results  in 
a  fall.  Although  jumping  shows  it  up  espe- 
cially, the  loose  seat  is  in  all  paces  a  source 
of  extra  weariness  and   labour  to   the  horse. 


68 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


li 


\<\ 


C  T 


^>T 


1. 


Fig.  39. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


69 


V. 


^■ 


'^V-'^ 


> 


y 


/ 


/ 


6 


4- 


Fig.  40. 


70 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


AC  ^  /  I  )    N  ,v 


\*_>vv2: 


•  « 


,\.  V      V 


Fig.  41. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


71 


i 


\  S^ 


\ 


\ 


Fig.  42. 


72 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Apart  from  the  manner  in  which  a  rider 
distributes  his  weight,  the  method  of  carrying 
out  a  journey  on  horseback  may  diminish  or 
add  to  the  fatigues  of  both  man  and  beast. 
The  rider  should  discover  the  peculiarities 
of  his  steed,  e.g.  a  good-shouldered  horse 
with  sound  fore  legs  can  go  downhill  full 
speed  without  taking  anything  much  out  of 
himself.  A  straight-shouldered  horse  would 
be  greatly  jarred  and  distressed  by  attempting 
to  do  so.  On  the  other  hand,  the  straight- 
shouldered  horse  might  have  the  better  wind, 
and  might  perform  the  journey  at  a  steady 
pace  uphill  and  down  in  exactly  the  same  time 


as  the  oblique-shouldered  horse,  who  would 
have  to  take  it  easy  uphill,  and  make  up  for 
lost  ground  going  downhill. 

Some  horses  can  keep  up  a  steady  trot  the 
whole  time  with  little  fatigue,  others  prefer 
to  vary  their  paces.  To  do  the  whole  journey 
at  a  very  slow  pace  is  often  much  more  weari- 
some to  man  and  beast  than  to  go  at  best  pace 
all  the  way. 

To  tighten  the  girths  after  starting,  without 
dismounting,  often  makes  the  saddle  sit  more 
comfortably.  To  slacken  the  girths  after  the 
horse  has  had  a  drink,  in  a  similar  manner, 
adds  to  the  wellbeing  of  the  horse  (Fig.  43). 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


73 


iiG.  43. 


74 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Saddlery. 


The  Marquis  of  Newcastle  describes  tine 
saddles  shown  in  Fig.  26  as  the  best.  A  very 
similar  saddle  can  be  easily  made,  on  which 
to  teach  youngsters  to  ride. 

Place  a  piece  of  numnah  on  the  pony's 
back  (Fig.  44).  Seat  the  child  thereon.  Place 
the  child's  leg  in  the  correct  position,  and 
with  a  piece  of  chalk  draw  on  the  numnah  (17) 
a  line  showing  where  the  upper  outline  of 
the  child's  thigh  will  be.    Then  roll  up  a  piece 


Straps  or  tapes 
for  macintosh. 


Breast 
collar. 


Fig.  44. 

of  blanket,  cover  it  with  soft  leather  or  basil, 
and  sew  it  to  the  numnah  above  and  exactly 
following  the  chalk  line  {b).  The  child  will 
derive  great    benefit    from    this    "knee   roll." 


When  the  pony  stops,  instead  of  sliding  for- 
ward on  to  the  pony's  withers,  his  thighs  will 
be  checked  and  kept  in  their  proper  place, 
and  he  will  soon  learn  to  grip  with  his  legs 
correctly  placed. 

In  training  a  youngster's  pony  it  is  often 
well  to  teach  the  animal  to  travel  whilst  you 
are  level  with  his  flanks,  and  not  leading  him 
by  the  head.  With  a  small  pony  this  is  easily 
done.  If  3^ou  are  walking  on  the  near  side  of 
the  pony  lean  your  right  arm  over  his  loins, 
thereby  forming  a  cantle  as  in  the  Marquis  of 
Newcastle's  saddle — hold  a  rein  in  each  hand, 
and  use  3'our  arms  to  keep  him  up  in  the  same 
manner  as  3'ou  would  use  your  legs.  You  will 
soon  find  the  pony  go  up  to  his  bit.  Now, 
when  you  put  up  the  youngster  you  will  find 
the  benefit.  The  child  will  be  in  front  of  you. 
Your  right  arm  will  be  hugging  the  child, 
giving  him  confidence.  With  your  two  hands 
you  will  be  able  to  place  the  child's  thighs  and 
knees  in  correct  position,  and  teach  him  to 
grip.  You  will  have  the  reins,  and  teach  the 
child  to  acquire  a  seat  before  ever  he  has 
reins  in  his  hands.     This  is  the  secret  of  good 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


75 


hands.  When  you  wish  to  trot  or  canter  3-011 
can  throw  your  weight  on  to  the  pony,  and 
thus  keep  up  easily  with  him.  If  anything 
happens,  catch  the  child  in  your  right  arm, 
and  whisk  him  off  the  pony's  back. 

With  girls  learning  to  ride  on  a  side  saddle 
they  are  at  first  inclined  to  "  screw  "  at  a  trot, 
and  not  rise  perpendicularly  from  the  saddle. 
This  screwing  means  sore  backs,  the  animal's 
withers  being  wrung  by  the  friction  of  the 
saddle.  Make  the  child  wear  a  Norfolk  jacket 
having  a  pleat  down  the  centre  of  the  back,  or 
chalk  a  straight  line  down  the  centre  of  her 
back,  or  else  sew  on  a  piece  of  ribbon,  which 
can  be  easily  noticed.  The  other  children,  or 
any  one  riding  behind  her,  can  then  easily  see 
and  correct  her  if  she  is  not  rising  truly. 

The  shapes  of  saddles  correspond  to  the 
lines  of  a  horse's  shoulder.  The  flap  cut  for- 
ward corresponds  to  the  oblique  shoulder, 
and  is  the  really  comfortable  shape  (Fig.  45). 
It  gives  ample  room  for  the  thigh  to  grip  the 
whole  way  along  {ab).  A  straight-cut  saddle  and 
an  upright  shoulder  correspond  to  each  other 
(Fig.  46).  The  room  from  the  point  of  the 
flap  to  the  cantle  is  obviously  shorter  (a  b'),  and 


Fig.  45. 


a   t 


76 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


in  consequence  reduces  the  comfort  of  the 
seat.  Knee  rolls  are  a  matter  of  individual 
preference. 

Ladies'  saddles  follow  the  same  principles, 
and  should  be  cut  so  that  the  crutch  comes 
over  the  centre  of  the  thigh  and  does  not 
press  on  the  point  of  the  knee.  The  number 
of  crutches,  pommels,  etc.,  are  a  matter  of  in- 
dividual taste. 

A  saddle-horse  with  a  good  shoulder  carries 
the  girth  well  clear  of  the  movements  of  the 
elbow.     The  straighter  the  shoulder  the  more 


forward  does  the  girth  sit,  the  tendency  being 
to  cause  a  gall. 

A  grass-fed  horse  often  chafes,  as  the  full 
barrel  forces  the  girth  right  under  the  elbow. 
Hence  in  Colonial  towns  horses  may  be  seen 
with  the  girths  round  their  necks,  like  a  collar, 
to  prevent  the  saddle  riding  back,  and  a 
crupper  under  their  tails  to  prevent  its 
moving  forward  (Fig.  47).  The  difficulty  is 
in  mounting  not  to  dislodge  the  saddle. 
Once  up  it  is  easy  enough  to  keep  the  gear 
in  position. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


n 


iJ-^\S^'^> 


Fig.  47. 


78 


HINTS    ON   HORSES 


Bridles  vary  greatly,  from  plain  snaffles 
to  double  bridles,  of  which  there  are  many 
varieties.  An  ordinary  "  Pelham "  bit  is  a 
mixture  of  the  two.     Without  the  curb  chain 


it  is  practically  a  snaffle,  and  with  the  curb 
chain  a  double  bridle.  It  requires  less  leather- 
work  than  a  double  bridle,  and  is  possibly  the 
simplest  bit  for  all-round  use. 


Driving. 


Amongst  coachmen  we  notice  two  methods, 
the  one  showing  the  compact  position  which 
inspires  confidence,  and  the  other  the  loose 
method  which  suggests  a  great  element  of 
chance  (Fig.  48). 

If  the  wrist  of  the  left  or  driving  hand  is 
kept  supple  and  bent,  the  back  of  the  hand 
will  be  at  an  angle  to  the  forearm. 

The  reins  follow  more  or  less  the  line  of 
the  forearm.     It  will  be  seen  that  the  strength 


of  the  back  of  the  hand  is  added  to  the 
strength  of  the  fingers  in  taking  the  strain 
of  the  horses.  Now,  if  the  wrist  is  unbent, 
and  the  forearm  and  back  of  the  hand  form 
one  continuous  line,  the  whole  pull  comes  on 
the  fingers,  the  reins  soon  slip,  and  the  feeling 
of  confidence  gradually  vanishes. 

The  elbow  must  be  kept  to  the  side,  sticking 
it  out  will  do  no  good. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


79 


Fig.  48. 


So 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


The  manner  in  which  a  horse  stretches  his 
harness  is,  after  all,  the  chief  criterion  by 
which  a  driver  may  be  judged. 

In  single  harness  there  is  not  much  to 
note.  Should,  however,  a  horse  appear  coming 
downhill  with  tight  traces,  it  ma}-  be  safely 
assumed  that  the  pace  will  keep  increasing, 
and  the  difficulty  of  clearing  an  obstacle  at 
the  bottom  be  considerable. 

With  a  pair,  if  the  horses  are  equally  strong, 
each  horse  should  do  his  fair  share  of  the 
work. 

In  breaking  a  young  horse,  it  will  be 
noticed  that  the  old  stager,  who  is  put  in  to 
convey  his  experience  to  the  beginner,  does 
all  the  work  of  starting,  but  as  soon  as  the 
pupil  begins  to  feel  the  collar,  the  old  hand 


gradually  hangs  back,  until  eventually  his 
traces  are  quite  slack. 

In  sketching  a  team,  note  two  things,  the 
reins  and  the  traces. 

In  starting,  if  the  leaders  stretch  their 
traces  first  (Fig.  49),  they  will  pull  the  coach 
on  to  the  wheelers,  who  will  promptly  hang 
back  as  if  going  downhill.  The  driver  will 
pull  on  the  reins  to  stop  the  leaders;  but  the 
leaders'  reins  being  too  long,  he  will  still 
further  pull  the  wheelers  back,  without, 
perhaps,  ever  getting  a  proper  feel  of  the 
leaders'  mouths. 

The  weight  on  the  leaders'  shoulders  will 
then  become  too  much  for  them,  and  they 
may  jib  cw  rear.  In  any  case,  for  some  time 
the  drive  will  be  thoroughly  uncomfortable. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


81 


Fig.  49. 


Fig.  50. 


Therefore,  if  a  coachman  be  depicted  start- 
ing his  team,  the  wheelers'  traces  should   be 


made  tight,  their  reins  just  loose,  the  leaders 
tight  on  the  rein  and  slack  on  the  trace  (Fig.  50). 

L 


82 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


Uphill  traces  should  all  be  taut. 

Downhill  the  reverse. 

In  a  tandem  notice  the  same  points. 

If  the  team  is  coming  round  a  corner  place 
the  whip  in  the  coachman's  hand  as  if  ready 
for  immediate  use  on  either  wheeler.  If  the 
wheelers  are  cutting  the  corner  too  fine,  a 
touch  on  the  inside  horse  will  send  him  up 
to  the  front,  and  force  the  point  of  the  pole 
outwards.  If  not  coming  round  sharp  enough, 
a  touch  on  the  outside  horse  will  swing  the 
pole  inwards. 

In  coming  round  a  corner  the  hind  wheels 


will  travel  on  a  smaller  circle  than  the  front 
wheels,  so  care  must  be  taken  to  leave  enough 
road  on  the  inside  of  the  inside  front  wheel 
for  the  hind  wheel,  unless  the  draughtsman 
desires  to  suggest  that  the  coach  is  about  to 
foul  the  corner. 

In  some  countries  it  is  the  custom  to  drive 
teams  of  six,  eight,  or  ten  mules  or  horses 
from  the  box  (Fig.  51).  At  first  it  appears  as 
if  no  man  could  be  strong  enough,  but  if  the 
relations  which  traces  and  reins  bear  to  each 
other  be  noticed,  the  solution  of  the  difficulty 
will  be  discovered. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


83 


n 


x: 


^nrf^r^^'^ 


Fig.  51. 


In  Figure  51  it  will  be  seen  that  the  leaders 
have   taut  reins  and  slack   traces,  the  central 


pairs  the  reverse,  and  that  the  wheelers  arc 
as  any  ordinary  pair. 


84 


HINTS   ON    HORSES 


The  leaders  pull  on  the  driver's  hand 
through  the  reins,  and  owing  to  their  seldom 
being  in  the  collar  they  keep  fresh  and  act 
as  pacers  to  the  team. 

The  central  pairs  strain  after  the  leaders, 
but  the  weight  is  thrust  on  the  carriage 
through  the  traces,  and  not  on  the  coachman's 
hand.  Consequently  he  need  exert  no  greater 
strength  in  piloting  a  properly  harnessed  team 
of  ten  than  a  team  of  four. 

With  these  big  teams  a  longer  and  heavier 
whip  than  an  ordinary  four-horse  whip  is 
required.  A  second  man,  as  a  rule,  sits  on  the 
box  beside  the  coachman  with  the  reins.  This 
man  is  generally  possessed  of  great  skill,  and 
keeps  all  the  laggards  of  the  team  up  to  their 
work. 

In  drawing  a  coach,  it  is  quite  worth  paying 
attention  to  the  coachman's  whip.  A  well- 
caught-up  loop  looks  workmanlike.  A  big 
loop  halfway  down  the  stock  looks  slovenly, 
and  one  knows  that  it  will  soon  come  down 
altogether.      A   long   flying    lash,    unless   the 


coachman  is  striking  the  leaders,  is  quite 
absurd.  If  the  wheelers  are  being  touched 
with  the  whip,  it  should  be  with  the  double 
thong  of  the  loop  of  the  whip.  There  is  one 
stroke  in  which  the  professional  Jehu  strikes 
all  four  horses  in  succession  with  the  single 
thong  in  one  backward  and  forward  sweeping 
stroke. 

The  driver  catches  the  thong  on  the  stock 
of  the  whip  close  above  his  hand,  and  lets  it 
fall  under  his  thumb.  He  then  with  a  figure- 
of-eight  movement  loops  the  thong.  In  windy 
weather  he  often  catches  the  thong  on  his 
forearm. 

He  holds  the  whip-handle  near  the  upper 
collar,  his  hand  being  a  few  inches  up  from 
the  butt.  This  balances  the  whip  in  his 
hand. 

Some  whips  are  bent  in  the  stock.  This 
allows  the  rain  to  drip  off  in  wet  weather 
without  running  into  the  driver's  hand. 
Notice  also  the  indiarubber  ring  on  'bus- 
drivers'  whips  for  a  similar  purpose. 


HINTS   ON    HORSES 


85 


The  harness  consists  of  bridle,  collar,  traces'  pad,  and  breeching  (Fig.  52). 


Fig.  ;2. 


'Bus-horses  wear  bridle,  collar,  and  traces  only. 


Fig.  53. 


The  breeching  is  often  omitted,  and  rarely 
seen  in  light  double  harness  (Fig.  53). 

If  we  place  the  harness  correctly  on  a  piece 


of  paper,  it  is  very  easy  with  a  line  or  two 
to  suggest  the  horse.  The  angle  of  the  collar 
will  give  the  character  of  the  horse. 


86 


HINTS   ON    HORSES 


Buying  at  Auction. 


To  those  wishing  to  buy  a  low-priced 
horse,  auctions  offer  the  greatest  opportunity. 
When  attending  an  auction,  method  means 
saving  time,  and  keeping  your  head  clear.  I  re- 
commend that  first  of  all  the  catalogue  should 
be  read  right  through.  Scratch  out  all  un- 
suitable lots,  using  some  hieroglyphic,  as  it  is 
just  as  well  that  people  looking  over  your 
shoulder  should  have  no  idea  whatever  of  the 
meaning  of  3'our  notes.  Now  study  the 
possible  lots,  and  make  marks  by  which  you 
will  readily  note  any  that  are  partially  or 
wholly  "warranted."  For  these  you  will  be 
able  to  give  your  full  price,  because,  if  they  do 
not  fulfil  the  warrant}',  you  can  return  them 
within  a  certain  time,  specified  on  the  con- 
ditions of  sale.  The  unwarranted  ones  you 
buy  at  your  own  risk,  and  their  price  should 
accordingly  be  less.  It  docs  not  necessarily 
follow  because  a  lot  is  termed  unwarranted 
that  unsoundness  is  implied  ;  on  the  contrar}', 
horses  included  in  sales  by  order  of  executors, 
etc., are  often  unwarranted, but  may  be  first  rate 
Having  thus   got   3'our  catalogue   intelligible 


to  yourself,  and  quite  handy,  get  hold  of  a 
"runner,"  and  with  him  walk  right  round  the 
stables.  Tell  him  what  you  want.  He  will 
probably  be  able  to  tell  you  of  any  horses 
that  have  a  reserve  price,  or  are  likely  to 
make  money.  You  will  then  be  able  hiero- 
glyphically  to  remove  them  from  your  list  if 
they  are  certain  to  be  more  than  your  price. 
It  is  no  good  to  spoil  3'our  eye  by  looking  at 
horses  which  are  be3'Ond  your  figure.  Doing 
so  will  often  put  you  off  the  useful  horses 
which  may  be  exactly  what  you  want. 

Your  own  list  has  thus  been  cut  down  to 
the  possible  choices.  To  this  you  must  add 
any  that  your  runner  suggests  to  you.  Now 
proceed  to  look  at  each  horse  on  this  final  list. 
If  the  horse  takes  your  fancy,  before  running 
him  out  lift  up  his  feet.  If  they  are  nasty,  or 
shod  in  a  suspicious  manner,  remember  "no 
foot  no  boss."  If  the  feet  satisfy  you,  proceed 
to  look  for  blemishes,  which  signify  faulty 
action,  such  as  brushing,  speedy  cutting,  etc. 
If  these  exist,  bear  in  mind  that  they  can  be 
counteracted,  but  it  may  be  necessary  for  the 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


87 


horse  to  wear  a  shield  or  guard.  Such  a 
necessity  reduces  the  value  of  the  steed. 
Now  get  your  runner  to  open  the  horse's 
mouth,  and  form  your  opinion  as  to  whether 
his  age  is  suitable.  If  so,  have  the  horse 
run  out.  In  the  open  you  can  quickly  note 
his  proportions — slope  of  shoulder,  length  of 
back,  carriage  of  tail,  depth  of  girth,  form 
and  condition  of  legs.  Look  at  the  horse 
all  round,  and  if  you  fancy  him  at  all,  have 
him  trotted  up  and  down.  Then  make  your 
hieroglyphic  note,  denoting  whether  the  animal 
is  worth  your  full  price,  or  whether  he  would 
do  at  a  bargain  price.  If  unsuitable,  scratch 
him  off.  In  this  manner,  before  long,  you 
will  find  only  a  few  "possibles"  left.  Run 
these  out  again,  but  do  not  confine  yourself 
only  to  one  or  two,  as  you  may  thereby  give 
yourself  away  as  to  which  you  fancy. 

The  difficulty  now  arises  in  the  order  in 
which  the  lots  will  be  put  up  for  sale.  Your 
first  choice  may  be  the  first  of  the  "  possibles," 
in  which  case  you  can  bid  comfortably  up  to 
your  limit.  On  the  other  hand,  your  pet 
selection  may  be  low  down,  and  you  will  have 
to  use  your  own  judgment.     The  tendency  is 


to  diminish  your  bids  for  the  earlier  lots.  If 
you  have  failed  to  buy,  and  the  last  "possible" 
is  up  for  sale,  remember  that  if  you  fail  to  suit 
yourself  you  will  have  to  reckon  your  out-of- 
pocket  expenses  as  dead  loss,  and,  conse- 
quently, it  may  be  worth  your  while  to  raise 
your  bids  slightly.  If  you  fail  to  buy,  your 
runner  will  be  able,  very  often,  to  find  out  if 
any  of  your  lots  were  unsold,  and  are  for 
disposal  by  private  treaty.  In  this  case  you 
would  probably  have  to  pay  more,  but  for  the 
extra  you  would  get  a  thorough  trial.  If  you 
have  bought  a  horse,  try  him,  to  see  if  he  fulfils 
his  warranty,  and  notify  in  plenty  of  time  if 
3^ou  wish  to  return  the  animal.  If  he  carries 
out  his  requirements  you  are  fitted  up  with 
a  horse  at  market  price.  If  after  a  bit  you 
don't  care  for  the  beast,  you  have  every  reason 
to  expect  to  get  market  price  back  again  for 
him  ;  but  do  not  send  him  straight  back  to  the 
yard  from  which  you  bought  him.  Horses 
that  are  constantly  changing  hands  become 
known,  and  are  avoided.  The  market  price  of 
horses  varies  with  the  season,  e.g.  if  you  want 
a  harness  horse  for  the  summer,  buy  a  hunter, 
which  is  quiet  in  harness,  at  the  end  of  the 


88 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


hunting  season,  and  send  him  up  warranted 
for  the  sales  at  the  beginning  of  the  next 
season.       The     difference     in     market    price 


should   cover  your   sale  expenses,  and  quite 
possibly,    partially    or    completely,    pay    the 


summer's  forage  bill. 


Tethering. 


To  teach  horses  to  stand  on  the  veldt, 
Boers  throw  the  reins  over  their  horses'  heads, 
and  allow  them  to  trail  on  the  ground  with 
a  weight  attached. 

The  horse  is  unable  to  drag  this  weight, 
and  is  therefore  practically  tethered. 

By  degrees  the  weight  is  reduced,  and 
eventually  the  horse  learns  to  stand  still  as 
soon  as  the  reins  are  thrown  over  his  head. 

The  trainer  who  teaches  his  horse  to  follow 
him,  always  leaves  the  reins  lying  on  the 
saddle.  As  a  result,  if  the  rider  wishes  to  go 
on  foot,  with  his  horse  following,  he  merely 
jumps  off  and  walks  ahead.  If,  however,  he 
wishes  to  move  away  on  foot  alone,  he  throws 
the  reins  over  the  horse's  head. 

For  an  untrained  horse  the  following 
method  may  often  be  found  of  service  : — 

Attach  a  spring  hook  to  the  ring  of  the  bit, 
the  snaffle  for  choice,  otherwise  to  some  con- 
venient portion  of  the  bridle.    On  dismounting 


draw  the  horse's  head  round  towards  its  flank, 
and  snap  the  spring-hook  on  to  the  stirrup  iron. 

In  the  cases  of  a  long  man  on  a  httle  pony, 
or  a  short  man  on  a  big  horse,  the  stirrup- 
leather  will  be  found  either  too  long  or  too 
short.  Under  such  circumstances  an  ordinary 
chain,  or  leather  dog-lead,  attached  to  a  D  just 
behind  the  flap  of  the  saddle  will  meet  the 
case.  Thus  fastened,  the  horse  cannot  stam- 
pede, but  the  position  being  very  cramped, 
the  scheme  should  only  be  resorted  to  during 
short  periods  of  urgency. 

To  tether  groups  of  horses  the  Italians 
have  a  good  way  of  attaching  the  head-ropes 
of  several  horses  to  a  small  iron  wheel,  with 
about  four  spokes. 

Horses  thus  tethered  must  bunch  together 
with  their  heads  inwards,  consequently  if 
they  attempted  to  proceed  in  any  one  direc- 
tion a  certain  proportion  of  them  would  have 
to  move  backwards. 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


89 


Stampeding  en  masse,  therefore,  with  this 
method,  is  practically  impossible,  and  the 
wheel  (unlike  the  peg)  being  unattached  to 
the  ground,  individual  horses  are  unable  to 
get  a  direct  pull  against  it,  with  a  view 
to  break  their  head-gear,  a  trick  which  many 
horses  acquire,  and  are  in  consequence  tied 
up  with  a  thick  strap  round  the  neck  like  a 
dog-collar. 

When  thus  tethered  to  a  ring,  the  horses 
are  fed  in  groups,  but  without  nosebags  it  is 
impossible  to  insure  that  each  horse  gets  his 
fair  share  of  grub. 

A  wheel  of  about  eight  inches  diameter 
will  hold  twelve  or  thirteen  horses.  A  quoit 
of  about  this  size,  with  holes  drilled  through 
it,  might  make  a  convenient  tethering  ring. 
The  head  ropes  would  be  passed  through  the 
holes  and  then  knotted,  to  prevent  the  horses 
getting  free. 

The  method  of  tethering  to  long  picket 
ropes  has  its  advantages  in  moving  a  large 
body  of  animals  across  country.  The  ropes 
are  invaluable  for  the  passage  of  rivers.  If  a 
herd  of  horses  is  driven  into  a  river,  it  is  with 
difficulty  that  they  can   be  forced  to  land  at 


any  given  point.  The  tendency  is  for  them  to 
scatter,  some  up,  some  down  stream,  and  to 
land  at  various  points  on  either  bank,  or,  if 
there  be  one,  on  an  island. 

By  attaching  the  ropes  together,  passing 
one  end  across  the  stream,  and  retaining  the 
other,  a  form  of  ferry  is  established.  To  this 
rope  the  horses  should  be  tethered,  as  if  in 
camp,  and  then  dragged  across  the  river  in 
groups.  By  this  means  the  horses  will  be 
landed  in  their  proper  order,  and  no  delay 
need  arise  due  to  sorting  them,  etc.  The 
number  of  horses  in  each  group  depends  on 
the  length  of  the  rope,  which  must  be  more 
than  twice  as  long  as  the  width  of  the  stream. 
The  rope  must  always  be  kept  taut,  and  not 
allowed  to  sag  below  the  water,  otherwise  it 
is  apt  to  foul  the  animals'  legs,  and  prevent 
their  swimming.  In  which  case  animals  often 
blow  themselves  out  like  bladders,  and  though 
they  can  be  dragged  ashore  and  saved,  the 
difficulty  of  disentanglement  and  risk  of  injury 
is  great. 

After  the  passage  of  the  animals,  the  rope 
can  be  rigged  as  a  tight  rope  for  the  dry 
passage  of  gear. 

u 


90 


HINTS    ON    HORSES 


A  tethering  quoit  made  in  aluminium  would  compare  favourably  as  regards  weight  with  twelve 
picketing  pegs. 


Fig.  S4. 


THE   END 


PRINTHD    BV    WILLIAM    CLOWtb    AND    SONS,    LIMITED,    LONDON    AND    BECCI  K3 


Webster  Family  U'^—  ^f  Veterinary  Medicine 
Cummings  S^*- -  '         -■^■■an/ Medicine  at 
Tufts  i'r' 
200  'Wcbiuuiu  nwau 


'•S^i 


